A collection of thoughts and often random ramblings that seem to fall from my head and onto the page during that wonderful adventure we call day to day life.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Paper, or People?

Was recently having coffee in our local shopping Centre Food court and reading my newspaper, while my wife and first born had gone off to do some shopping.

I was sitting there peaceably minding mind own business, engrossed in my paper when all of a sudden I was grabbed from behind by a strong young man who said, “Give me your Paper or your Life”. To which I replied, “Hmmm, I will have to think on that!”To which our son just laughed and sat down with me.

I/ we were not expecting him there and so my mind was occupied elsewhere. Had he not approached me, I would not have noticed that he was there. I couldn’t help but wonder how many other opportunities I have had to connect with other people there, all because I have been engrossed in my paper and not alert to what else is going on around me?

My youngest is always complaining of this fact with me, and claims that I concentrate more on my paper than I do on her. Which is not true by a long shot but I do have an active mind and need to employ it in activity and often do miss some things, because I am engrossed in something, like the paper that can be easily put aside for a while and picked up later. Some people are forever being told to “Stop and Smell the Roses”. Some of us, I think, need occasionally, to be told to leave the Roses alone and move our attention to the rest of the Garden.

I am not saying that I need to do this all the time, but a little bit more would not hurt me and might even help me. What about you? Are you too, to busy doing “things”, to spend time on and with people? Like me maybe you may need to spend more time with people than with activity, no matter how informative it may be? Just a thought! Over to you for now. Walter

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About Me

Mid 60's, married for over 43 years with 3 adult children. Spent 12 years working with an African Church, in the Xhosa homeland of Transkei, both before and after re-incorporation back into South Africa. Have been back in Oz since late 02. Since Aug 07 to Feb 2012 as Pastor of a small Independent Baptist Church.
From July 1st 2012 to May 13 briefly the "Director for Communication and Prayer Ministry" with the Slavic Gospel Association in Australia. Since then till late last year unemployed; and now officially retired
This Blog site is of a more general philosophical nature, than the others. For Blogs of a more christian philosophical nature, see my "Christian Ponderings" site.
The "Pacific Ponderings" Blog was designed for more personal Blogs and specifically, our South Pacific Cruise.